Art historian with an interest in visual messages
Maundy Thursday marked the beginning of the most solemn part of the Easter festival for the Christian Church and is also the festival of Passover in the Judaic faith. Services would normally take place in churches and synagogues, but in these days of Covid-19 the sacred places remain shut in order to contain the spread… Continue reading The Events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday through the eyes of the Northern European Masters
For those of you who have visited Westminster Abbey's gallery displaying various treasures of our ancient abbey, you may have well have failed to notice an illuminated manuscript known as The Cramp Ring manuscript. In 2006 when I was researching my Master’s dissertation I was allowed to photograph the whole manuscript and the images of the… Continue reading The Good Friday Ceremony of the blessing of cramp rings and the curing of the King’s Evil
When undertaking a study of both European history and art history, it is essential to understand the way people of that period thought. It is one of the first things you are taught at university and for this you do need to delve into the classical texts and understand the various major events that affected all… Continue reading The influence of Renaissance learning on the visual arts
The face of Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) is known to us because Hans Holbein the Younger (c1497-1543) painted the portrait that now hangs in the Frick Collection, New York. Sir Thomas More as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancasterhans Holbein the Younger (c1497-1543). Frick Collection New York.Image source : Wikipedia For those interested in the… Continue reading Sir Thomas More – how we know him & his family
Below is the outline for the paper I will be presenting at the international conference titled Maritime Animals being held at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, between 25-27th April 2019. This paper will discuss just one element of my research into the visual evidence of trade with the Far East that is evident in surviving… Continue reading Hidden in Plain Sight :Visual evidence of travellers’ tales & trade in birds & other marvellous beasts
